Disabilities

One thing about the 19^th century censuses that I have always been curious about are the questions about various disabilities.  From 1830 through 1880 and again in 1910 the census these questions appeared. 

Some Possible Answers

It’s important to remember that often people answered the census based on what they wanted others to know.  If people were embarrassed about something they would hide it from the census enumerator.  This was common when people were divorced.  They would record themselves as married on the census, even though you have their divorce records.  One of these answers may have been about disabilities. 

So why ask the question?  During this period there was an attitude that disabled people should be segregated, kept by themselves in homes or institutions, instead of integrated into society.  The government wanted to know how many disabled there were in the United States so they could plan for their housing.  As the Industrial Revolution took hold, this policy increased, forcing the disabled out of urban areas.  This article by San Diego State University tells how the harsh working conditions and the demand for efficiency often forced disabled workers out of urban areas into remote locations.   

Toward the late 1800s many doctors began accepting the Darwinian theories of natural selection which led to “disabled people being shut away in single sex institutions for life” as outlined in this article in The History of Disabled People blog.

Finding the Answers!

If you find a member of your past family on the census marked with one of these disabilities, there are several places you can look for records.  Probably the best place is to look for guardianship records.  Anytime a person who was considered to be disabled owned property or other assets, the court may have appointed a guardian to oversee their financial affairs.  These guardianship records will usually be found in the probate records but can sometimes be found with the deed records.

Another place to look is for an institution where your ancestor may have lived.  Many of the records for these institutions have been digitized and are available online, and many more are available at state and other archives.  Some examples are the Roster of the Residents of the Texas Confederate Old Soldier’s Home on FamilySearch or the records from the Austin Library on the Texas State Lunatic Asylum.  Often if your ancestor was a long term resident of one of these facilities, the name of the facility will be listed on the census page.  And don’t forget my favorite search engine, Google!  Once you find the name of the institution often a simple search will lead you to available records.

As always, we’re here to help!  Contact us at Heroes of the Past for all your family history needs!